Pressure roller for tape feeding means



Oct. 18, 1955 E. 1.. BAKER 2,721,076

PRESSURE ROLLER FOR TAPE FEEDING MEANS Filed July 23, 1952 Fig. l

4 36 24/ g ---L l 34/ f 0 28 64 2 r 32 Edmond L. Baker 70 30 INVENTOR.

Q /0 BY United States Patent PRESSURE ROLLER FOR TAPE FEEDING MEANS Edmond L. Baker, Roanoke, Va., assignor of one-third to Robert C. Hall, and one-third to Ralph A. Glasgow, both of Roanoke, Va.

Application July 23, 1952, Serial No. 300,401

2 Claims. (Cl. 2712.3)

This invention relates in general to roller mechanisms, and more specifically to a pressure roller for tape recorders.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved pressure roller which may be attached to conventional tape recorders for exerting pressure upon magnetic tapes to press the same against a drive roller and prevent the slippage of the same.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved pressure roller which is mounted for sliding movement with respect to a mounting bracket, the mounting of the pressure roller permitting limited floating action whereby limited swivel action is permitted.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved adjustable pressure roller which may be utilized to replace rigid rollers, said pressure roller being spring urged into engagement with a magnetic tape and urge the same against an associated drive roller, said pressure roller having means for varying the spring tension whereby the pressure exerted upon the magnetic tape may be accordingly varied.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved pressure roller which may be utilized in combination with drive rollers of conventional tape recorders for urging magnetic tapes thereof into engagement with their drive rollers, said pressure roller having mounting means which permits the same to follow an uneven surface of a drive roller and thereby retain the magnetic tape in engagement therewith without causing overheating of a drive motor associated with the drive roller due to extreme pressure which is applied to partially overcome an uneven surface of the drive roller.

With these objects definitely in view, this invention resides in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of elements and portions as will be hereinafter described in detail in the specification, particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a material part of this application and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of a conventional tape recorder having mounted thereon the pressure roller, which is the subject of this invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 22 of Figure 1 and shows the general construction of the pressure roller; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the pressure roller mechanism, a portion of a slide member to which a roller of the pressure roller mechanism is connected being broken away and shown in section in order to clearly illustrate the construction thereof.

Similar characters of reference designate similar or identical elements and portions throughout the specification and throughout the diflerent views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that there is illustrated in Figure l a frame of a conventional tape recorder. The frame 10 has journaled therein a drive shaft 12 which is driven by a drive motor (not shown) and has mounted thereon for rotation therewith a drive roller 14. In engagement with the bottom portion of the drive roller 14 and frictionally engaged thereby for driving the same is a magnetic tape 16. The magnetic tape 16 passes over idler rollers 18 and 20 disposed on opposite sides of the drive roller 14 and urge the magnetic tape 16 upwardly on each side of the drive roller 14.

Carried by the frame 10 of the tape recorder is a pickup head 21. The pick-up head 21 is of a conventional construction and is disposed between the drive roller 14 and the idler roller 2%) with the magnetic tape 16 passing thereover. inasmuch as the construction of the pick-up head 21 is conventional, it will not be described in detail.

The average tape recorder is provided with a pressure roller for engaging the under surface of the magnetic tape 16 in order to urge the same into pressure engagement with the drive roller 14. However, such pressure rollers are rigidly mounted with respect to the drive roller 14 and have a tendency to guide the magnetic tape 16 oil of the drive roller 14 in the event that the drive roller 14 is uneven due to wear. Furthermore, the unevenness of the drive roller 14 necessitates the use of more pressure with conventional friction rollers and causes overheating of the drive motor associated therewith.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 3 in particular, it will be seen that the frame It) of the tape recorder has secured thereto below the drive roller 14 a generally L-shaped mounting bracket 22 which forms a major portion of the mounting means for the pressure roller mechanism, which is referred to in general by the reference numeral 24 and which is the subject of this invention. The mounting bracket 22 includes a first flange 26 which is in face to face relation with the frame It) and is secured thereto by fasteners 23. Integral with the first flange 26 is a second flange 30 which extends outwardly at right angles thereto. Carried by the second flange 30 in spaced vertical relation is a pair of mounting pins 32 and 34 which connect a U-shaped slide member 36 thereto for vertical sliding movement and a slight swivelling movement in a vertical plane normal to the frame 10.

The slide member 36 is generally U-shaped in hori-' zontal cross-section and includes a web 38 which is disposed in back-to-back relation with the second flange 30 of the mounting bracket 22. The slide member 36 also includes a pair of spaced parallel legs 46 which are integral with the web 33 and extend vertically above the same. Positioned between the upper ends of the legs 40 and mounted on a shaft 42 extending between the same is a roller 44, the roller 44 being in engagement with the magnetic tape 16 and urging the same into pressure engagement with the drive roller 14.

It will be seen that the pins 32 and 34 are in the general form of rivets and pass through a vertical slot 46 in the web 38. The pin 32 has a reduced shank portion 48 which passes through a bore 50 in the second flange 30 of the same diameter. However, the width of the vertical slot 46 is greater than the diameter of the shank 48 whereby movement of the slide member 26 in the plane of the web 38 is permitted.

The pin 34 is of a different construction from the pin 32 and includes a head portion 52 which is disposed on the mounting bracket side thereof and is in engagement with the surface of the second flange 30. The pin 34 has a first reduced shank portion 54 which is positioned within a bore in the second flange 31B of an equal diameter whereby the pin 34 is rigidly supported by the second flange 30. The pin 34 also includes a second reduced shank portion 56 which is larger than the shank portion 54 and of a diameter equal to the diameter of the shank tension spring 64 passes through a bore 68 of a horizontal flange 70 and is retained therein. The horizontal flange 70 is integral with the web 38 and projects horizontally therefrom away from the second flange 30 of the mounting bracket 22. The flange 70 is bendable with respect to the web 38 whereby the tension in the spring 64 may be varied. It will be seen that the spring 64 urges the slide member 36 upwardly towards the drive roller 14 with the result that the roller 44 is compressively engaged against the magnetic tape 16. The roller 44 is preferably formed of a resilient material in order to secure a better frictional contact with the magnetic tape 16. However, in the cases where the drive roller 14 is formed of metal, the roller 14, if desired, may also be formed of metal.

Inasmuch as there is a loose connection bet-ween the web 38 of the slide member 36 and the second flange 30 of the mounting bracket 22, it will be seen that the roller 44 may shift with respect to the mounting bracket 22 and the frame on which it is mounted in order that it may follow an uneven surface of the drive roller 14. The shifting of the roller 44 with the drive roller 14 not only retains the magnetic tape 16 in alignment with the drive'roller 14, but also eliminates excess pressure on the drive roller 14 by a pressure roller assembly and the resulting overheating of a drive motor.

The operation of this device will be understood from the foregoing description of the details thereof, taken in connection with the above recited objects and drawings;

Further description would appear to be unnecessary.

Minor modifications of the device, varying in minor details from the embodiment of the device illustrated and described here, may be resorted to without departure from the spirit and scope of this invention, as defined in the appended claims.

' Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. For use with a drive roller mounted on a shaft having a longitudinal axis, a pressure roller assembly, said pressure roller assembly including a mounting bracket rigidly mounted adjacent a drive roller, said mounting bracket including a mounting flange disposed in a plane parallel to a longitudinal axis of the drive roller, a slide member carried by said mounting flange and extending towards the drive roller, a pressure roller carried by said slide member immediately adjacent the drive roller, said slide member being connected to said mounting flange by a pin and slot connection including a pair of pins, said pins being spaced transversely of the longitudinal axis and being smaller than said slot to permit a limited swivel action of said roller parallel to the longitudinal axis whereby said pressure roller may follow' any variation in a 7 tape engaging surface of the drive roller, and spring means urging said pressure roller towards thedrive roller. 2. In combination with a drive roller mounted on a shaft having a longitudinal axis, a pressure roller assembly, said pressure roller assembly including a mounting bracket rigidly mounted adjacent said drive roller, said mounting bracket including a mounting flange disposed in a plane parallel to said longitudinal axis, a slide member carried'by said mounting flange and extending towards said drive roller, a pressure roller carried by said slide member immediately adjacent said drive roller, said slide member being connected to said mounting flange by a pin and slot connection including a pair of pins, said pins being spaced transversely of said longitudinal axis and being smaller than said slot to permit a limited swivel action of said roller parallel to said longitudinal axis.

' wherebysaid pressure roller may follow any variation in a tape engaging surface of said drive roller, and spring means urging said pressure roller towards said drive roller, said slide member having a connecting flange remote from said drive roller,-said spring means extending between and connected to said connecting flange and one of said pins, said connecting flange being bendable :to selectively vary the tension of said spring means.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 759,807 Brooks May 10, 1904 1,084,213 Konerman "Jan. 13, 1914 2,178,242 'Runge Oct. 31, 1939 2,335,277 Heller Nov. 3.0, 1943 2,369,089 Thomas Feb. 6, 1945 2,499,699 Tinkham Mar. 7, r1950 2,523,387 Natzke Sept. '26, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 306,936 Italy Apr. '5, i933 

